


The World Keeps Spinning Round and Round

by Neferit



Category: Star Trek: Alternate Original Series (Movies)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Arranged Marriage, Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Alternate Universe - Gender Changes, Angst, Arranged Marriage, Community: strek_id_kink, F/M, Fluff, Genderswap, Kink Meme, Romance, kink meme fill
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2015-09-05
Updated: 2017-10-23
Packaged: 2018-04-19 04:42:26
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 22
Words: 11,260
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/4733159
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Neferit/pseuds/Neferit
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Story of an arranged marriage between Jamie Tabitha Kirk and Khan Noonien Singh, written in snippets inspired 100 re-captchas aka 'that's what she said!'</p><p>Hopefully I'll be able to update on at least semi-regular basis, but with my job I can never be quite sure D:</p><p>Latest story news (October 31 2015) - <a href="https://nefindahouse.wordpress.com/2015/10/31/world-keeps-spinning-round-and-round-update-october-31/">here.</a></p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Media Frenzy

**Author's Note:**

> Written for a prompt posted over at [strek_id_kink meme](http://strek-id-kink.livejournal.com/1695.html?thread=183711#t183711).

The media went completely crazy during the last few weeks. It certainly had a good reason to.

Daughter of one of the biggest Starfleet heroes, Jamie Tabitha Kirk, was to be married to one of the leaders of Augment Directorate, Khan Noonien Singh, to cement the peace treaty between the former enemies.

_‘Jamie Tabitha Kirk, the youngest Starfleet Captain, and one of the brightest of her generation, ferried away like a cattle!’_ raved some of the tabloids, showing confirmed footage of the Captain crying and most certainly disagreeing with the marriage.

_‘Jamie Tabitha Kirk, a real hero like her father!’_ exclaimed others, their reporters writing elaborate articles about the sacrifice the young Captain was about to make, saving billions of lives by giving up her future, thus making the treaty possible, showing pictures of the young woman with a serious face, her bright blue eyes staring from the covers, pinning the readers down with their intensity.

_‘Jamie Tabitha Kirk, the one who got her heart torn out of her bosom and trampled upon by the man she loved, volunteering for the marriage of convenience, so she wouldn’t have to face the beforementioned man every bloody day,’_ shone brightly in the tightly secured PAD that contained Jamie’s personal journal.

The battle of catchy titles and bright covers raged on and on, but Jamie couldn’t care less.

She was to be married to a complete stranger, apart from three other people completely on her own in their strange realm, and all she could think of had been _‘just don’t fall in love again’_.

For it never worked for her anyway.


	2. Genghis Khan

 

Khan Noonien SIngh took his name after an ancient Earth conqueror, and he never made any secret of it. Some of his closest friends thought him strange, choosing a name from enemy’s history, but to him, it was a sign of greatness, a hope for something good coming from the Earth, as he became even more successful in his endeavours since he claimed the name as his.

This hope seemed to be fulfilled, as he was chosen between his peers as the one who would step up and cement the treaty to change history.

He would marry a human woman, his equal in all matters he thought important, and together they would stand side by side, weathering the storm that was the in all probability inevitable war with the Klingons.

And together, Khan and Jamie, Federation and Augments, they will stand victorious.


	3. crocodile tears

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Something angsty.

 

If there was something Jamie hated about the ‘Jamie T. Kirk leaves Earth indefinitely’ parting ceremony, it had been the amount of the crocodile tears her mother had spilt during it.

_ Her mother. _

The woman who barely looked at her as she grew up, who almost never touched her, leaving her starved for human touch and affection that even her brother, who was quickly growing into his ‘don’t touch me, it’s embarrassing’ stage would notice, and come and hug her time to time, letting her to cling to him as if her life depended on the time she was allowed to touch another human being without grumbling.

The woman, who was crying big, sobby,  _ fake _ tears for all the tabloids reporters, to show image of herself as a mourning mother, who’s sending her daughter to marry a former enemy, while Jamie herself thought that she was just that relieved to finally stop seeing George’s likeness around, to remind her of the husband she lost the same day she gained her, the exchange unfair and not worth it.

The woman that made Jamie’s heart hurt, as her daughter was never enough to her, never worth any true feeling, not even the true and sincere sadness, no matter that this day could be the last time she ever saw her in person.

But they all had their part to play, and for Winona it had been mourning mother, crying crocodile tears at the loss of daughter she never truly saw, and in all probability never would.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So, I thought that I will space updates (as far as I will have them written up in advance) to every 100 views this fic gets. Guess that means we have a lot of time to see other updates xD
> 
> Also - next part: "not in Kansas".


	4. not in Kansas

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Not in Kansas, but most certainly on the AUgment homeworld.

 

The ride on Augment ship  _ Ymdrech _ had been uneventful - her crew had been showing her and her escort nothing but respect, but it had been rather unnerving to see the unfamiliar faces, strange uniforms (for some reason the Augment ship uniform looked like something straight out of some old post apocalyptic Earth movies,  _ Mad Max _ anyone?) and the rather cold indifference towards themselves.

Jamie would take refuge in the presence of her friends - Gaila, the Orion engineer that took to her like a sister, Carol Marcus, her fellow geek and weapon specialist and Leonard McCoy, fondly nicknamed Bones by her, her best friend and doctor, the one who swore his way up and down and refused to stand down until he was assured (first by her, then by Pike who took on the whole Admiralty board to make it possible) that he would be going with her as well.

Only when they stepped from the shuttle that took them to the surface, Jamie looked around and that was when Bones uttered:

“Well, who would have thought - even without a pair of pretty shoes, we’re not in Kansas anymore.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Well, that was quick, I better start riting faster :)
> 
> Anyway, the name of Augment ship Ymdrech means Endeavor in Welsh.
> 
> Next chapter - _break the ice_.


	5. break the ice

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Jamie and Khan meet for the first time.

 

Ever since the Augment delegation met them at the starport, Jamie and her friends had been swept into seemingly never ending line of galas, dinners and soirées, making them all feel as if they were insects to be examined.

At least she didn’t have to wear a dress uniform for those events, Jamie mused, carefully applying her make up, only half-listening to Bones’ moaning about being the only man in this bloody henhouse. He stopped only when Gaila asked him with mocking seriousness if that meant he was the only cock there, which left him sputtering and Jamie nearly stabbed herself in the eye with the mascara stick as she laughed.

She took extra care to look her best that day. That day, when she would finally see her betrothed in person for the very first time.

The gala had already been in full swing when they arrived, thankfully without much of a fuss. So far, they managed to secure a reputation as good conversationalists, swiftly joining in whatever discussion had been taking place, and it was only when Jamie felt someone staring at her back that she excused herself from the group she was in and turned around.

And there he was; just like her dressed to the nines, hair swept back in a way that made her fingers itch with urge to mess it up at least a tiny bit.

She braced herself inwardly, before she flashed him a bright smile.  _ ‘You can do this,’ _ she thought, walking to join him.  _ ‘If only to break the ice, yes?’ _

“Greetings,” she said when she reached him, holding her hand to him, “I’m Jamie Tabitha Kirk, and we are to be married at the end of the month. Nice weather we have here, no?”

Part of her cringed when she heard what came out of her mouth, but Khan only smiled almost unnoticeably before he reached for her hand and brought it to his lips.

Damn. Just her luck to land an arranged match that would make it so much harder for her not to fall for him.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Next part - counting sheep.


	6. counting sheep

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Where Jamie can't sleep.

 

Jamie Tabitha Kirk couldn’t sleep.

So far, she tried to read (but, while bored, she certainly didn’t feel the slightest sleepy), had a glass of milk (while she liked the beverage, it certainly wasn’t working for her now), she opened her window to make her room cooler (while she welcomed the crisp night air of Augment homeworld, it wasn’t doing much for her insomnia either) and now she was lying in her bed, staring at the ceiling and counting bloody sheep in order to get the fuck to sleep…

And it wasn’t working.

She was ready to smother herself with her pillow, when her communicator beeped, signalling an incoming message.

_ KNS: Jamie. It’s Khan Noonien Singh here. Are you still awake by chance? _

Huh. Why haven’t they tried to communicate through the messages before? Would be a great opportunity to get to know each other better before they actually met in person, and probably much less awkward. 

Opening the dialog window, she typed in a reply.

_ JTK: Yep. Thinking too much. Nothing is working in putting me to sleep. _

_ JTK: You? _

_ KNS: The same reason. _

_ JTK: You tried to count sheep yet? _

_ KNS: What is a sheep? _

Jamie bit her lip, trying to muffle the laughter that bubbled in her chest.

The explanation of what a sheep is, and how it looks like was rather lengthy and obviously not very specific - Jamie yawned, suddenly feeling very sleepy.

_ JTK: Just finished counting my sheep. What about I just showed you a picture tomorrow? _

In a matter of minute her comm pinged another message.

_ KNS: That would be agreeable. Good night. _

Yawning again, Jamie just sent her reply and closed her eyes. Bloody sheep - next time she should probably be counting cows or something. Maybe bits of popcorn. So much cooler...

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Next part - "real McCoy", where Bones brandishes his shotgun hypo.
> 
> See you in next one hundred views!


	7. real mccoy

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Where Bones polishes his shot... uhm, hypospray.

 

Today was one of the days when Leonard McCoy was glad he knew the free girls he shared the estate now, but at the same time was very, very glad to be in at least different room than the female trio.

He loved them to pieces (well, one of them more than the other two - not that he would say that aloud, especially now), but singing songs from various musicals had been a bit too much for his poor nerves and his lack of good bourbon at hand.

He drew the line when they started on  My Fair Lady , loudly excusing himself and leaving the room to the tones of  _ ‘The Street Where You Live’ _ and sound of mischievous girly giggling. Not that he would be saved from listening to whatever they decided to sing next, but at least he wouldn’t be forced to participate again (singing  _ The Grease _ before was quite enough, thank you very much).

And guess who came calling about half an hour later after he went to seek a refuge in the library.

Khan Noonien Singh, in all his augmented glory.

Being raised in South, he ushered the man into the dining room and offered him some refreshments, warning him not to interrupt the singing, if he valued his life and of course, that had been exactly the moment when the girls decided to start on  _ Fiddler on the Roof _ , and  _ ‘Matchmaker, matchmaker’ _ song, with Jamie as Tzeitel, Gaila as Hoddel and Carol as Chava.

It was just when he explained what the musical had been about when the trio started on the last part of the song.

_ “Dear Yente, see that he’s gentle, remember you were also a bride. It’s not that I’m sentimental - it’s just that I’m terrified! Matchmaker, matchmaker, plan me no plans, I’m in no rush, maybe I’ve learnt. Playing with matches a girl can get burned… So bring me no ring, groom me no groom, find me no find - catch me no catch; unless he’s a matchless match!” _

They finished the song, and before Khan could say anything, he had the dubious honour of seeing the real McCoy under the grumpy and cantankerous shell.

Real McCoy, who was hard and cold and damn protective towards the woman who, according to him, saved him from himself, and who wouldn’t hesitate for a single nanosecond to use all of his broad medical knowledge to make his last living moments positively agonizing and not to leave a single bit of evidence against himself while doing it.

While certainly not intimidated (not really, not like he would even show it, if he were), Khan was positively impressed, especially by the speed the cold and hard mask slipped on McCoy’s face when Jamie burst into the room, out of breath, her friends right behind her, cheeks flushed.

There were no more songs from those musicals McCoy spoke about that day, but somehow, Khan hoped that one day, he would get Jamie sing for him, and only for him, in private.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> You folks sure are getting quicker!
> 
> Next part - "shoulder of Orion", where we get some Gaila awesomeness!


	8. shoulder of Orion

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Gaila, stars and awesomeness. Also known as "that chapter where I'm like a hobbit and give away presents on my birthday, yay me".

 

If there was one thing Gaila really liked about herself, it had been her shoulders, and only after she had known Jamie for quite some time.

“You have very nice shoulders, Gaila,” the other woman once mumbled to her, draped over her and half-asleep at the time. “Very comfortable and strong.”

For a long time Gaila’s shoulders were hunched, the woman bent down under the weight of her life. Only after her escape she began to stand straighter - the change miniscule at the beginning, but once the storm named Jamie T. Kirk appeared in her life, her posture soon changed rapidly; the other woman helping her to see herself with different eyes.

No longer she saw herself like the pretty but otherwise rather useless woman, whose only job was to look pretty, dance enticingly and bed people her master told her to, charming them with her pheromones. Instead, she saw a young woman, who escaped the hard and miserable life, leaving it behind to become a genius engineer, whose identifying marks no longer were only her physical features.

“See, Gaila,” Jamie told her once, when she dragged her to some old-school Earth observatory during winter, “see the stars there?” She pointed several of them. “That’s constellation called Orion by the Terran astronomers. It’s said that Orion was an ancient hunter, who got lifted up among the stars, I’m not sure whether it was for a reward, a punishment or some kind of custody. 

Anyway,” she continued, pointing one of the stars. “That star over there, in what is supposed to be Orion’s shoulder? It’s called Bellatrix - a female warrior. And that, Gaila, is you - bright and strong.”

Sometimes, Jamie would use her shoulder to rest her head on, letting the faint smell of her pheromones to lull her to peace. 

It was her shoulder Jamie cried herself to sleep on when Spock trampled all over her heart.

It was her shoulder Jamie pressed tightly to take a grip of herself when her request to be considered as a suitable match for one of the Augment leaders was approved, and she was actually chosen as the peacemaker.

Her shoulders could be used to carry the weight of the world, if only for limited time, but that was okay. She had friends now, who wouldn’t leave her alone in that, and who counted on her in turn.

Here, on the Augment homeworld, it was good to feel strong and confident in her own abilities - she might be small, and compared to them, weak, but she could still be dangerous to anyone who would dare to even look at them sideways.

She was the star that was the shoulder of Orion. She was a warrior.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So, I decided to give a present on my birthday to my readers, and upload this sooner that I normally would.
> 
> On a side note, I'm 26 today. I feel old. And also bewildered I actually survived this long xD
> 
> Next part - "deal me in", ready to be uploaded when we hit 800 views.


	9. deal me in

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Where Khan is dealt in.

 

Next time Khan came to visit his betrothed, he found her and her friends huddled around a gaming board, with small figures of several colours, throwing a dice and making frustrated noises.

“Dammit, I swear even that bloody dice is against me in this!”

“C’mon, Leonard, you need to throw it less aggressively…”

Giggle. “You need to treat it like a lady and it will be a putty in your hands!”

“Whoever named this bloody game was obviously high as kite at the time.”

“Really, Bones, don’t get angry, man.”

“Don’t get angry, my ass.”

“Well,  I for one, certainly wouldn’t get angry at your ass, Leonard.”

Groan. “Do I really need to keep on telling you that it’s just a figure of speech, Gaila?”

“If you do that with that Southern accent of yours, hm... yes.”

Long-suffering sigh. Giggle. Snort and laughter.

That was when Khan made his presence known, amusement washing over him as the quartet before him jumped from their seats, Carol knocking the board over.

“Khan!”

Jamie was giving him a pleased smile - he mentioned that he might be able to come over to spend some time together, but was unsure whether his duties will allow him to come that particular day. That he managed to kick all of the things he was supposed to be doing _all_ _day_ into the timespan of just _most of the day_ , leaving his evening free, had been a no small feat.

“Want to join us in a game of  ‘don’t get angry, man’ ?”

Gaila was snickering somewhere behind her, Jamie knew that, just as she knew that Carol was smiling discreetly into her palm and Bones was not-all-that-discreetly rolling his eyes in a way that made the gesture audible, no matter how nonsensical that sounded.

Khan allowed himself to smile. “As the saying goes,” he said primly, pulling a chair for himself to sit down between Jamie and Carol, “deal me in.”

“Cool!”

When the game was over, much, much later that evening, they all decided that no matter what people say about the game, it was very much possible to cheat on it.

There was no way how Khan would manage to kick all their asses in the game otherwise, right.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Next part - "weakest link" with awesome Carol Marcus.


	10. weakest link

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Where we find out why Jamie and Carol are friends.

 

If there was one thing Carol knew for sure, it was that people tended to think her the weakest link out of their quartet.

Leonard was a doctor, thus someone who knew all the best and easiest way how to incapacitate or outright kill someone; the muscles hiding under his uniform only adding to that notion. He never needed to say anything - he would just give someone  _ a look _ and immediately changed from  _ just cranky _ to  _ fucking dangerous _ in a matter of an eyeblink. 

Gaila was an Orion, and even if she were small, her work in engineering gave her the strength that showed in the way she moved, the way she stood; her pheromones giving her something what many thought an unfair advantage.

Jamie herself was a cracker. While rather small, and soft in all the right places, she was able to pack a punch of a strength of a horse kick, knew more of an advanced combat styles than many a security officer and had no qualms in using every dirty trick in and outside of the book, if the situation demanded it, and she most certainly didn’t make any secret of it. 

And then there were she, Carol Marcus. She didn’t have any special ability at her disposal, people thought - small and slim, pretty and smart, but that was about it. Her being a weapon specialist? So what - get her off of a computer and she would be completely useless and defenceless; the typical Admiral brat that she were.

What they didn’t get was that in fact, being a weapons specialist made her exactly that. A specialist in all kinds of weapon. She could take a rusty fork and make it into an effective weapon; a feat that impressed Jamie greatly the first time they met, and since then they bonded over their love of ancient weaponry and being in the shadows of their fathers. And books. They could write whole epics about books and weapons, or about books about weapons, never running out of things to say.

They were content with people keeping their opinions. But should it matter, they were also more than ready to prove people wrong.

Right now, Jamie needed her to keep her sane in this strange, augmented world, where all of them had been alien to.

And of course, keeping her safe, she thought as she thoughtfully gazed at the dessert spoon she was holding, came together with that.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Next chapter - "the tribe has spoken", where everyone and their mother has an opinion about the arranged match between Starfleet ex-Captain and Augment Lord.
> 
> Also - folks, I'm amazed at the support I keep getting for this (you people rocks), but with upcoming NaNoWriMo this piece in all probability won't be updated throughout the November, as I will be working on this year's novel that in all probability will be from completely different fandom. So, like Bones, please do not get angry, people, sit back and enjoy thinking about me as I tear my hair out, because the words do not flow from my keyboard the way they are supposed to xD But until then - I have words. Enjoy them.


	11. tribe has spoken

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Also known as the one where Jamie keeps on getting fanmail.

 

Since the match between Jamie Kirk and Khan Noonien Singh had been as high profile as these matches went, it was only natural that  _ everyone and their mother _ had an opinion about it - and were very vocal in voicing it to the two of them.

Jamie actually still received a fair amount of what Gaila referred to as ‘fanmail’ - lots of declarations of love, a hate letter here and there, spam and ads (the spam mail about erection improvers were actually rather funny - her personal favorite had been titled ‘small dicks are for losers’) and an occasional letter telling her to be brave, and try to be happy in the situation she found herself in.

One of them in particular branded itself into her memory; hand-written on real paper, the letters flowing on the white page.

_ Jamie Tabitha Kirk, _

_ we never met in person, yet you already influenced my life in a way I will forever be grateful for. During your time at the peace talks at Axanar you saved my son, Bilal; someone whom you’ve never met before, and yet you went out of your way, risking an injury at best, your own life at worst, only so one father in the universe wouldn’t have to mourn the loss of his son. _

_ You truly are a hero, as for the sake of peace you gave away your own freedom, and consented to marry a complete stranger. I’ve studied the Earth history, and found out that during the centuries number of matches had been arranged - some for political influence, some for peace. Number of those matches had been unhappy - yet there were some that were happy and long lasting, and such is a marriage I wish upon you; loving union of two parts of one whole, that knows no ending. _

_ Forever grateful, _

_ Dominic Osoba _

Sometimes, Jamie would re-read the letter if only or the feeling of calmness she could feel from the letters, and smile. Most of those closest  to her had been by her side, and the rest of the galaxy could go and jump off a cliff, as far as their opinions were concerned anyway.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I seriously almost completely forgot about this O_o
> 
> Anyway, who can spot the off-StarTrek reference I made in this chapter?
> 
> Next part - 'space is big', where Jamie and Khan participate in long-standing tradition.


	12. space is big

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Where Khan and Jamie participate in long-standing Earth tradition and learn more about each other.

 

It was on the night week before their wedding, when Khan came for a visit and Carol directed him to the balcony, placing a thermos in his hands before she pushed him to the stairs.

“Believe me,” she smirked, “you’re going to need it.”

The night was already setting when he made it to the house the four Terrans occupied; in the short time he had been speaking to Carol the night had settled. It was dark outside, as Augments didn’t have what on Earth would have been street lights.

Jamie was sitting on the floor, surrounded by pillows, wrapped in a warm blanket. When Khan entered from her room, she looked up and smiled.

“Hello,” she spoke, her voice calm, before she turned back, gazing at the skies. “It’s a bright night here, so I thought that we may take part in centuries old Earth tradition called ‘stargazing date’, together with ‘let’s have a heart to heart before we are married’.”

“If it is a tradition, then we should partake in it,” Khan replied, a small smile forming on his lips. “How shall we proceed?”

“For one,” Jamie looked back at him, mischief clear in her eyes, “you could come closer.” She unwrapped from her warm cocoon just so she could raise one of her arm. “And get here, so we can start on the ‘cuddling’ part of the tradition.”

Khan felt a bit awkward, nestled so close to her, but when he wrapped his arms around her, he eased into the sensation of another being so close to him. It was comfortable, to just lean on the wall behind them, a warm blanket wrapped around them to keep the night chill away, and gaze at the skies above; a sight Khan had seen thousands of times before, yet this experience brought something completely new to the already old sight.

“You know,” Jamie broke the silence, her voice thoughtful, “I think I never really realized how big the space is, until I was out in the black for the very first time. Bones once told me that space is disease and danger wrapped in darkness and silence, but for me, it meant freedom.”

“Leonard and you are close,” Khan remarked, pulling her closer to him. Jamie smiled. “Yep. Best friends ever since he threw up on me and I called him Bones for the first time.”

“Is that related to his profession choice?”

Jamie turned slightly in Khan’s embrace. “What do you… oh, you mean sawbones?” At Khan’s nod she chuckled. “People tend to think so, and partially, they would be right. But it’s related to something Bones told me right after he informed me that he might throw up on me and I asked him why the hell was he even on the shuttle to Starfleet Academy, when he’s clearly aviophobic. _‘Got nowhere else to go, the ex-wife took the whole damn planet in the divorce. All I got left is my bones.’_ ”

“Was it truly so bad?”

“Back then? Yeah. His ex dragged him through mud and kicked him when he was at his lowest, completely destroying him and his reputation during the divorce. When we met, I might have not been right after bad divorce, but it wasn’t exactly a walk through rose gardens either. So we stuck together, two outsider losers, and the rest is, as they say, a history.”

Khan knew some things about Jamie; mostly what made it to public - which, come to think of it, had been actually quite a lot. Like her family, especially her father. Her stay at the Starfleet Academy. Her heroics. But this piece of information, deep and personal, was something he stored deep in his memory.

Trust demanded trust, at least in how he viewed such things.

“You see,” he started quietly, “I didn’t always look like this…”

“So you were, so to speak, more exotic looking?” Jamie asked some time later, after he finished telling her about the most painful thing in his life.

“Yes. But the mission parameters asked for a radical change of semblance. This,” he actually pulled his hand out of their warm blanket cocoon, baring the pale skin, “was the only way.”

“Why not to get it reversed, once the mission was done?”

“Know this,” Khan stated gravely, “while my very genetic structure had been augmented, there truly is a limit to what my body can endure. The strain put on it during this surgery was already almost too much.”

“If it counts,” Jamie said after a moment of silence, taking his hand in hers, pressing his fingers lightly, “I think that no matter how you look, you still are one of the most dashing men I’ve ever met.”

She looked back the starry skies. “It’s just so strange to see the stars you’ve known your whole life, and not have them create the constellation you are used to seeing. It’s summer on Earth now, so the Summer triangle, not to mention the rest of summer skies could be seen. I’m told that you can’t see Vega, Altair and Deneb, not to mention the rest of the constellations those stars are part of, here at the same time. Makes me wonder what stars the navigators would have used back in the past here.”

“I didn’t realize you take such interest in navigation.”

“It went together with the stars,” Jamie giggled sheepishly. “It goes together with what Bones once told me, too. One would have never thought that Bones, for all his grumbling, is really such a softie at heart.”

“What did he tell you?” Khan asked, curious.

“I wanted to quit the Academy - when you are daughter of one of the biggest heroes around, the pressure can be debilitating. So, I was packing my at the time rather meager belongings, when Bones comes up, asks me what the hell do I think I’m doing and after some of my whining about how much I do not belong there and how it would probably be better for the Federation, if I wasn’t born at all and such, he actually hugs me and tells me that there are millions of stars in the galaxy, about three million Earth-type planets and about the same number of galaxies around, but only one of each of us, and that I shouldn’t destroy the one named Jamie Tabitha Kirk. It surprised me so much that I just started crying. And as things with Bones usually go, the rest is, once again, history, although this particular piece of it is rather embarrassing and of the never-to-be-spoken-again variety.”

“The man has a curious way with words,” Khan remarked. Jamie snorted. “Just don’t let him get started on metaphors. He knows them all, and I’m positive he actually made some of his own.”

She yawned after that, prompting Khan to suggest that maybe it was time for the to part ways for the day.

Jamie went to see him off, stealing one more look at the starry skies before the door closed.

If Khan’s hearing wasn’t as good as it was, he would have probably miss it. But like this, he was able to catch what she was saying.

“All I ask is a tall ship, and a star to steer her by…”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Ohooo, who spotted the TOS reference in this chapter?
> 
> , folks, I think I need to warn you that I'm already gearing up for upcoming NaNoWriMo, so the updates for this will be really spotty for the next six or seven weeks. Most of my attention is currently being eaten up by jotting down notes for my novel (a rewrite of my StarCraft fanfic "Into Darkness" that I have uploaded, but not updated for, like, ages) and stocking up on chocolate and coffee. I may update during the whole event, if I actually write anything related to this during the time, but as I'm fond of saying - "I promise nothing!"
> 
> Anyway, next part - "cross the Rubicon".


	13. cross the rubicon

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Where Jamie and Khan suffer from pre-wedding jitters. And where fluffy feels have fluffy feels.

 

There were only two days before their wedding should take place, and both, Jamie and Khan had been so nervous that their friends had to nearly tie them to their chairs when they started freaking out.

In the end, it was Oto, one of Khan’s close companions, who nearly dragged him to the estate Jamie and her company shared (when he was notified of the fact that it would probably be bloody beneficial for the whole treaty and blah blah blah, if the two going-to-be-weds would spend this afternoon together by no one else than the grumpy doctor, otherwise the whole thing would fell through, because Jamie - as well as Khan, as far as Oto was concerned - would be murdered by their frustrated friends).

Before they knew it, Gaila dragged Jamie and Oto dragged Khan into one room, slammed the door after them, and it was only the sound of locking mechanism that broke the following silence.

The following,  _ awkward _ , silence.

Jamie was the one who broke it, feeling every ounce the nervous high schooler she never really got to be. “Uhm, hello Khan.”

“Noonien,” Khan corrected her. “We are to be wed soon - it’s appropriate for you to start calling me not by what would be considered a title, but by my name.”

“Noonien,” Jamie said, savouring the name and how it rolled off her tongue. Then a thought occurs her. “I called you by rank all the time? And you let me?”

“It is customary between those who are to be wed to call each other by their titles before their marriage; the name signifying the link between the pair, the closeness they are going to share,” Khan explained, slightly nervous under Jamie’s stare.

Suddenly, Jamie chuckled. “Just so we’re clear - do not call me ‘Tabitha’. This may be a bit of a point of no return situation, but I sure as heck can’t help but wonder what my parents were thinking when they were thinking up child names.” She grimaced. “At least they picked the middle name after grandma - would be awkward to be named ‘Tiberia’ after grandpa.”

“It would still be a strong name,” Khan, no, not Khan,  _ Noonien _ , remarked. 

They were silent for a time, content with the awkwardness being broken and the presence of the other one. Khan reached to Jamie, offering her his hand with serious face.

“From this moment on, you are to be the only woman to call me Noonien, no matter the time and space we are. When you call, I shall come.”

_ Will you cross this Rubicon? Will you cross it, and live with the results it will bring? _

“From this moment on,” Jamie replied, pressing his hand with a small smile, “you are to be the only one I’ll call.”

Their friends let them be for several hours, before the lack of any abrupt noises was way too suspicious for them to bear any longer.

It was Gaila who braved the locked door, sneaking a look into the room; nervous Oto, Bones and Carol behind her.

Instead of a scene of apocalypse they expected, they were treated to completely different sight. Khan had been laying on the sofa, his head in Jamie’s lap, contentment radiating from him, as the woman gently brushed her fingers through his hair and hummed a song that oddly fitted the reasons that led them there.

_ Oh, will you come when I call you? _

_ I'll come when you call me _

_ I'll call you at half past ten _

_ Ten for the atom bomb lose again _

_ Nine for the crippled and blind _

_ Eight for my eight billion graves _

_ Seven for the continents blown up _

_ Six for the cities all wrecked _

_ Five for the warplanes that fly _

_ Four's for the guns of this war _

_ Three's for these warships at sea _

_ Two's for the love of me and you _

_ One's for the pretty little baby that's born, born, born and gone away... _

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The song mentioned at the end is Come When I Call You by amazing The Klezmatics, from their album Wonderwheel.
> 
> Next part - "hello sweetie", where a surprise waits for Jamie.
> 
> Also, will be posting an update about this story on my WordPress, with notification being sent to my tumblr, so stay tuned!


	14. hello sweetie

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> In which Jamie gets a pleasant surprise.

 

Today was day of her wedding, Jamie thought, when Gaila and Carol bursted into her bedroom and pulled the covers from her.

“Wake up!” Gaila chirped cheerfully. “Leonard will be here in a moment, too, to bring you something to eat, and then we’re going to start working on your hair and makeup!”

“Not that we will be doing much,” Carol assured Jamie, when she shot her a slightly panicked glare, fully knowing that the other woman remembered all the wedding fails pictures and videos they watched during their time at Academy, laughing their asses off at the time, especially at seeing some bride’s heavily overdone makeup.

Bones arrived few minutes later - although his usual grumpy self, Jamie felt calmer at his presence, and not just because he brought her breakfast, done in his usual comforting and familiar way.

“Eat,” he prompted her, sitting beside her, as the girls fluttered around the room, gathering everything they would need. “I know that right now you feel as if someone just punched you in the stomach, but believe me, if you don't eat, it’ll only get worse, as the day progresses.”

Obediently, Jamie bit into the toast Bones offered her, working her way through the bread, jam, some fruits she didn’t recognize (must be local, she thought, and thrice checked over by Bones, before he put it there), a glass of juice and small cup of coffee. Meanwhile, her friend related some funny story Joanna told him when he last spoke to her, both of them chuckling at the image the words brough.

Only when Jamie finished with her breakfast did the girls kick him out, Carol pointedly telling him that he surely has something to take care of, before the girls threw their weight into getting Jamie ready.

In the next few hours, Jamie had perfect manicure and pedicure done, her hair washed and twisted in a way that would accentuate her features and show off the length of her neck enticingly, her dress on and while Carol was pulling at all the strings that would keep it in place, Gaila was finishing with her makeup.

The whole time, they didn’t allow her to come even closer to any mirroring surface, so only now she could see how she looked.

Oh great bird of the galaxy, she looked, and felt, like a princess.

“You look amazing, girl.”

Jamie had been so taken up with the picture she presented that she completely missed that someone entered the room she was in. It should alarm her, but the voice had been familiar, and always calming to her. 

“Chris!”

Her mentor, biggest supporter and a friend stood there, leaning slightly on the cane he still had to use. He was smiling at her and when she rushed to hug him, nearly knocking him down in the process, he gave her a fond chuckle, as his arms embraced her.

“Hello, sweetie.”

Only the knowledge of the amount of work put into her appearance stopped Jamie from tearing up.

“I can’t believe you are here,” Jamie spoke, after she and Chris sat down on her bed.

The Admiral smiled. “As if I would ever allow anyone else to marry you off. Now,” he smirked, “I want to hear more about this husband-to-be of yours. WHat size should be the shotgun I'll need have to be?"  


The young woman beside him laughed, bursting with words. He listened carefully to everything she said, taking care to hear even what she didn’t say. But so far, he could only hear things that set him on ease.

_ It won’t be as bad as we both feared when I was picked. _

_ He’s a good man. _

_ I think I will be content, if not happy, here. _

They had a peaceful hour before Chris had to depart to get ready for the ceremony, but apart from some commotion downstairs nothing disturbed them. When Chris left, Jamie allowed herself to be swept in the last round of preparations.  


The ceremony, and together with it her future husband, awaited her. With deep breath, she looked around the room she occupied during those weeks. It became a home for her, a safe haven, that she now would be leaving to live with Noonien.

For a moment, a worry passed through her mind, but then she looked at the bouquet  Gaila pressed into her hands just now. Whatever would be coming, from now on, she wouldn't be facing it alone.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Next part - "you shall not pass", where we get to know what was happening at the same time part "hello sweetie" was taking place.
> 
> Also - ooooh, my precioussses, only a few days before the madness starts!


	15. you shall not pass

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Where Carol pulls a Gandalf. 'nuff said.
> 
> Also, questions in the end notes.

 

 

Khan Noonien Singh wanted one simple thing on that day.

See his betrothed before the ceremony and exchange at least some words with her.

Yet as it seemed, his only request on that fine morning was to be denied to him, even if he saw an older man, Admiral, judging by his dress uniform, enter the house, and possibly her room as well just a few minutes before he himself arrived.

Now, however, his way was barred by two very angry women (both in dresses and looking lovely, if one didn’t look at the fury in their eyes), who refused to let him come into their house.

“You shall not pass!” Carol told him firmly, causing suddenly appearing Leonard groan.

“I can’t believe you just pulled a Gandalf on him,” he said before he turned to face the Augment.

“Sorry, man,” he said, “but the ladies are right. It’s a tradition. To coin a phrase…” He actually paused, closed his eyes for a second, as if bracing for something, and when he opened his eyes again, he seemed to be growing bigger by each word he said. “The dark fire will not avail you, Flame of Udun! Go back to the shadow. You shall not pass!”

Well, Khan was rather impressed with the display, but he still wanted to see Jamie.

“Nope,” Gaila put her foot down. “It would only bring you both a bad luck, if you saw the bride before the wedding! We can’t have that!”

She looked kind of panicked, when she said that, so Khan resigned himself to not pressing the matter.

“I believe I saw a man enter the house shortly before me?” he asked Leonard, who was the only one who didn’t seem on the edge of tears at just thinking he might break some obscure tradition he never heard about before now.

The other man nodded. “Yep. Christopher Pike, Admiral, the guy who recruited both me and Jamie, and the closest thing Jamie has to a father. It’s fairly fortunate he made it here for today - Jamie was worried who would oversee the ceremony, and this sure as hell will put her at ease.

Now,” he went to Khan and actually laid an arm around his shoulder, “let me offer you a drink before we deliver you a fine speech of ‘you hurt her, we will hurt you’ and then kick you out, so you can finish your own preparations for the wedding, yes?”

It would amusing, Khan mused as he stood before the Admiral in the halls of his ancestors, waiting for Jamie to arrive, how seriously her friends took the speech. If he ever did any stupid thing which would cause Jamie pain, emotionally or - all the forces of good forbid - physically, he could look forward to being put to sleep by overdosage of Orion pheromones (mighty potent stuff even for an Augment), and then being nailed down by very painful hypos being shot at him from specifically modified shotgun.

Admiral himself was rather short in the same ‘talk’ (something about having a flagship at his call and not being afraid to use it, of all possible things), but when the music Jamie picked for her ‘walk’ started playing, he felt his eyes widen.

There, walked down the aisle by doctor McCoy had been Jamie, and she looked absolutely radiant. Only his friend, Oto, had the gall to elbow him as discreetly as possible and hiss at him to not forget to breathe.

But really - who needed such a useless thing as oxygen, when your beautiful bride was coming?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So, this is probably the last update for about a month, I suppose? (depending on how bad my writer's block will be for my novel D:)
> 
> Anyway, I already have visualized what Jamie looks like for her wedding (pays to be on your friends' wedding not that long ago - the bride had amazing dress), but I'm quite unsure what Khan should be wearing. In canon, he's obviously of Indian ancestry (or close one, yes?), so it would make sense for him to wear Indian wedding attire like [this ](http://www.utsavfashion.com/men/beige-banarasi-art-silk-readymade-sherwani-with-churidar/mcd2006-itemcode)or [this ](http://www.utsavfashion.com/men/charcoal-black-banarasi-art-silk-readymade-sherwani-with-aligarh-pyjama/mcd2150-itemcode) but I'm having difficulties to imagine him wearing it, not to mention I would probably mess the whole thing up by mistaking the parts of such an amazing attire D: So I probably end with having him wear a tail-coat/tuxedo, because I think tail-coats/tuxedos look amazing, not to mention much easier to descrie, which in turn makes them a bit boring xD I'm hoping for some opinions about this, so folks, please, don't leave me hanging D:
> 
> And last but not least - next part - "yadda yadda yadda" :D
> 
> EDIT: Also, finally he update I'm promising to write for, well, about two weeks xD [Here](https://nefindahouse.wordpress.com/2015/10/31/world-keeps-spinning-round-and-round-update-october-31/) \- take a look at all the visualizations, and let me know what you think!


	16. yadda yadda yadda

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> ... where they say I do.
> 
> Also known as 'I would be writing my NaNoWriMo project, if I wasn't so goddamn stuck! D: "

 

Christopher Pike stood slightly in front of Khan Noonien Singh, the husband-to-be of Jamie Tabitha Kirk, and as the bride entered the hall, he got a first class account of what exactly was happening.

Jamie entered the hall; the white colour of her simple vintage lace dress contrasting with the radiant and colourful bouquet she held in her hand; a gift from her betrothed, as per some augment tradition. He had the joy of seeing her before, but like this, being walked down the aisle by her closest friend, Leonard McCoy, her eyes on the man she was supposed to marry in a matter of a very short time...

The closer she got, the more the simple details of her dress, of how her hair or makeup were done, became noticeable.

Khan, on the other hand, had been dressed in a rather elaborate outfit; Christopher thought it looked rather Indian in origin, given the bright colours and style. The coat he was wearing had been of gold colour, with red accents; a red embroidered scarf was thrown over his shoulder. Underneath the coat, he had maroon pants, and rather curiously, he had a turban on his head as well, adding to the Indian look of his attire.

And most of all, he obviously forgot how to breathe for a moment when he saw his bride, judging by the way his companion, Chris believed his name to be Oto, chuckled and elbowed him not all that discreetly in the ribs, smirking at the annoyed look sent his way.

He spent many happy hours by practicing his speech, for blessing a union made out of convenience, but this… He wasn’t quite sure what he thought of this; an arranged match, where the partners obviously are very much attracted to each other (without actually acting upon the attraction so far), and everyone sees it – but themselves.

For all his speech, well-thought beforehand, and carefully prepared with keeping how he truly felt towards the young woman in mind, could consist of ‘yadda yadda yadda, kiss the bride, you’re married, let’s get drunk’, since the couple before him obviously had eyes (and ears) only for one another.

But it wasn’t. Instead, the newlyweds got a medium length speech of respect and caring, of searching and finding, of having and nurturing, and unions lasting till death did them part, overcoming the infamous phases of in sickness and in health, in richer or poorer.

At least in one aspect both of them paid careful attention.

Their ‘I do’s’ had been spoken loudly and confidently, as they stood there before him, facing each other, and with a real meaning behind those words.

“You may kiss the bride, Khan Noonien Singh,” Chris said, and then he just went with the flow, for if Augments knew something, it was how to celebrate with a grand style.

First, Khan just stepped close to Jamie, and before anyone could say anything (not that anyone would), he dipped her back deeply, kissing her rather profoundly, the scene distinctly reminding Chris of an old photo from the twentieth century; a marine kissing a nurse in the streets, people cheering all around them.

Then, standing her back on her feet, he dragged her towards the doors, running and laughing, while everyone cheered for the newlyweds.

It was actually quite scary, the level of noise all those people were able to make, but Jamie was laughing as she allowed herself be pulled out of the doors, towards the hall a feast was prepared.

“And this is where we pretend that all they heard wasn’t ‘blah blah blaaah’ and go get ourselves a drink. Or five,” Leonard grumbled.

Gaila immediately glued herself to the man, tugging him out of the hall, Chris and Carol following.

After all, there was a huge celebration to attend, and lots of drinks to drink. It would be only right not to leave the Augments to do all the merry making completely on their own.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Next part (sometime after the NaNoWriMo is done, and I think I got enough views for this - because views are like cookies - the more the better) - "dance all night".
> 
> Because that, my friends, is how you celebrate a wedding. With food, booze, and dancing.


	17. dance all night

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Wedding celebration with a style that only Augments could manage to pull off.

 

If there was something the Augments knew how to do, it was how to throw a party in a really grand style, Carol mused, as she looked around richly decorated hall the wedding feast was taking place.

Well, feast… Carol wasn't entirely sure what word should be used for the affair she was witnessing here.

It was very loud, for once. Not that loudness would be all that unusual for such an affair held on Earth, just… it was strange to see the usually sober and calm looking Augments with their hair often literally down, and having a really good time, laughing loudly and everyone talking at the same time.

Then there was the sheer amount of the food that had been served. Carol tried a bit of everything what had been on one of all those tables, and she felt like eating, like, never again, or at least in the next week. Just to illustrate that point, there had been ten of those tables, and the thought itself was making her a bit dizzy.

For so many people, all that food should be sufficient on its own, yet there had been personnel ready to supply everything that could be needed (and obviously, was already needed, given the fact that some of those people were already carting a small mountain of empty plates away).

Jamie and Khan had been sitting at the high table, so everyone could see them, and were obviously talking about something that made Jamie smile with that bright and radiant smile none of them had been able to coax from her during the last few months.

And there – a dance of the newly-weds had been announced with a great flourish, causing everyone to stop stuffing their faces and move towards the dance floor, creating a big circle for Jamie and Khan to dance in.

They slowly walked from their seats, Khan offering Jamie his arm and she taking it with a smile, her steps sure. He was slightly taller than her, even in her high heeled shoes, and both of them moved gracefully to the instrumental melody of a slow, elegant waltz, circling around the floor, eyes on one another the whole time.

The whole room was almost reverently silent, only the music breaking the quiet for several minutes, before the melody ended in a slow decrescendo and faded into quiet.

That was when the real celebrating started – all the guests were suddenly on the dancefloor, everyone dancing with everyone, no mat t er how out of the rhythm some people were, and everyone was having an absolutely amazing time.

Jamie and Khan were given a moment of peace, before they were once again dragged to the dancing mass, Oto pulling Jamie for some  crazy swirling around, the man smiling widely at the similarly laughing woman, while Gaila made Khan dance  _something_ Jamie wasn't even trying to decipher what that particular dance was supposed to be – it looked a bit like jive mixed with cha-cha and belly dancing, from what she could see from where Oto and later Bones pulled her to dance.

Almost too abruptly Jamie found herself alone with Noonien, sitting back in an antique Earthern car while one of the Augments drove them to the mansion the two of them would share from now on. Leaning on her husband's shoulder, Jamie allowed her feet slip out of her shoes. She was quite used to walk around in heels, but not for such long periods of time, and together with how tired she (and Noonien probably did too) felt, getting out of those had been most welcome thing to do in order to be able to walk the next day.

Of course, Noonien carried her out of the car, crossing the threshold of their home with her in his arms as the tradition asked, and closed the door behind them with a kick before setting her back to her feet.

Silence followed after the loud bang of the door and Jamie felt herself gulp nervously. Now was the time for their wedding night, and she had only  _very theoretical_ idea where to start.

Well,  _shit._

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So, I'd say this is where I scratch my head being all awkward and say how sorry I am for not updating for so long.
> 
> At the same time, it's not as if I could really update - first, working in retail during December is quite a reason for a writing hiatus, if there ever was one. Add to it that our section of the store had been severely weakened, and in all the rush I managed to cause myself a work related injury (cutting my hand rather badly), and let me tell you, writing is really annoying when you are unable to properly move your fingers because of all the bandages, especially if the bandaged hand is your main one. Also, I'm once again applying for university, so I could finish the degree I was working on (which will be fun thing to do, together with this work, eh), and all that is really bad for being inspired. All in all, thes things together (or even separately) are enough to drive me into the ground, and driven-into-the-ground-Neferit is one hell of an uninspired Neferit D:
> 
> Anyway, I hope I will be able to update in a more timely manner next time.
> 
> Next part coming - "I can do that".


	18. I can do that

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Where Jamie and Khan talk... and more.

 

Khan looked down into the blue eyes of his new wife.

One wouldn't have to be an Augment to realize that Jamie was suddenly very, very nervous to be alone with him. Previously, they have enjoyed each others company, not shy from touching, even if those touches lacked the lover-like quality to them so far.

But this, Jamie looking at him like a deer that just got blinded by car headlights… It sent a rather sickly feeling to his gut, that his wife, his mate for life, was afraid of him.

“I would never hurt you,” he said, voice calmer than he felt. Jamie blinked at him, her surprise clear. “What? I know that. Why do you think I… _oh_.”

She looked down, breathing in deeply. “I think we need to talk, Noonien,” she spoke, her voice gentle at the sound of his name, which gave him hope that she truly wasn't afraid  _of him_ , even if it didn't give him any clue what it was that made her so nervous, when just moment ago she was smiling and completely at peace.

“That may be beneficial,” Noonien agreed, leading her towards the library. He had a feeling this talk they needed to have would be better had at different place than the bedroom they would be sharing, the issue heavy. Gesturing for her to take a seat on the plush sofa he had delivered there just few days ago, he sat by her side, allowing her to gather her thoughts before she started speaking about what truly bothered her.

Still, it took him by quite a surprise, when she found her voice again.

“You know, the only reason I ever applied for being considered part of this treaty was me being a bloody coward.”

Coward to face this one man, her now former First Officer, whom she offered the gift of her bared heart, only to have him emotionlessly crush it in his hand and return the broken bits to her with indifference and cold refusal.

Woman like her would never understand what she was attempting to offer him; woman, who shared herself freely with strangers would never be able to give him what he needed from a permanent relationship – loyalty, faith and trust.

How far he had been from the truth, and yet he never bothered to check the facts himself, depending on rumours and gossip, spread by liars and jealous opponents.

“I thought we were getting closer, learning about each other,” Jamie spoke, her voice quiet. “In the end, however, I was the only one who obviously thought that.”

Her husband just gazed upon her for a moment, before he reached to take one of her hands into his easing the tight fist so he could grasp her fingers properly.

“Then this man, this Spock, was a fool for discarding you in such a way, illogical in his belief in untruths. Yet,” he allowed corners of his mouth rise a tiny bit, “what is his loss is my gain, for my wife is a woman of many characteristics, cowardice not being one of them.”

No. To him, Jamie was anything but a coward. To come here, leaving everything behind, to even tell him what brought her there… that took courage, and more of it than many of the people Khan knew personally actually possessed.

“However,” he continued, making Jamie stiffen a bit again, “does that mean you are… untouched?”

Jamie snorted a laugh, almost against her will at the sound of the last word. “Yes, Noonien,” she smirked, “as untouched as they come. No idea how the rumours of me being sort of an Academy bicycle sta rted, though.”

She looked him in the eye. “I know you would never hurt me, Noonien. But the fact that I have only very theoretical knowledge of what is supposed to happen between us remains.”

“If you are not ready...” Khan started, only to be interrupted by Jamie. “I am ready,” she blurted. “I can do that. _We_ can do that.”

Khan rose to his feet, pulling Jamie with him. “Then lead the way, my wife,” he offered quietly, letting her lead, command the speed everything would happen at, the direction it would happen.

The distance between the library and their bedroom on the upper floor seemed endless, the steps measured by the beating of her heart. Noonien helped her to remove the accessories from her hair, and she carefully took the turban off his head, setting it aside, before she moved to unbutton his  coat, slipping it off his shoulders once the last button was popped free.

Unbuttoning of her dress proved to be a bit more of a challenge, one that Noonien eagerly focused on.  The silk shift she was wearing underneath hid her before his eyes,  but at the time being, he didn't mind, as her fingers made quick work with the buttons on his shirt, before settling on the belt of his pants.

Fo r a second, Jamie's fingers stilled. _'I can do that,'_ she thought, and with determination so usual for her when she set her mind on something, she unlaced Noonien's pants, pushing them open.

Khan watched her with a small smile. She was breathing heavily, her cheeks flushed, and she was biting down on her lower lip. When she unlaced his pants, he decided it was time for his move. In a flash, her shift was on the ground, joining most of their clothing there, and he was stepping out of his pants.

Jamie was radiant to his eyes. He had seen his share of naked women, but right now, she was the most beautiful of them all, in her white lace underwear and nothing else, all blue eyes and milky skin, from this day on the only woman he would look upon with longing and desire.

So far, most of what they did had been mechanical (how else to remove quite complicated clothing without looking like idiot, after all), and now came the time for creativity and passion. Reaching for his wife, and pulling her closer by gently grasping her hips, he leaned down to kiss her softly.

“My wife,” he whispered in wonder.

“My husband,” she replied with a small smile.

Nothing else needed to be said, as he lifted her up and carried her to their bed.

This night, just as the next ten days, was theirs, and nobody would take it from them.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> And this is where I leave you at fade-to-black bedroom scene, for I terribly suck at writing these xD And really, since nearly everyone writes detailed sex scenes (that I enjoy reading, but absolutely hate writing), I think a bit non-descriptive sex is good for the soul :P
> 
> Next part - "living together".


	19. living together

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The honeymoon phase.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I tried to experiment when writing this chapter - it seemed to work for me, so hopefully it will work for you as well, my dear readers.

 

Jamie and Noonien were both used to share their space wit someone else.

In the days after their wedding, Jamie's personal effects had been delivered to their home. Her toiletries joined Noonien's on the shelves of their bathroom, her clothing made its way into the wardrobes. Several pictures of her, together with her friends and the Admiral who officiated their wedding appeared around the house, resting on the walls or on the shelves.

(And wasn't it most interesting to see her so carefree and so very young on these pictures; like on one of those taken during their studies at the Academy, all four of them wearing their cadet reds and making faces at whoever was holding the camera – Leonard giving them an almost humorous scowl, Carol sticking her tongue sideways and crossing her eyes, Gaila making  a kissy face and Jamie making herself a goggles with her fingers, pursing her lips while she did so.

Or like the one where she is sitting in her Captain chair, her Command crew around her, with the extras of Gaila and Carol – some of them are beaming, some of them are looking smug, some of them show no outward emotions, but the feeling of accomplishment is radiating from the whole picture.

Or maybe the most interesting picture of all that she put on display is from the ceremony that named her a Captain of the Enterprise. She is wearing her cadet reds, standing before the man who officiated their wedding, the man still in a wheelchair at the time the ceremony took place. Everywhere around the people are clapping their hands and cheering, Gaila and Carol giving each other high fives while Leonard rolled his eyes in long-suffering manner. It's almost as if the Admiral and newly minted Captain were in their own bubble – she saluting him with a small smile, and he looking up at her, pride radiating off him that even the camera recorded it. )

The scent of lilac, her favourite, slowly seeped into their house, mixing with the more exotic smells he favoured.

(She had remarkably little cosmetics on the shelves of their bathroom, a single makeup case with several brushes, a blush and mascara that were hidden in drawer of one of the cabinets, a shampoo, several soaps and a small bottle of body lotion, while he had number of shower oils and soaps  and shampoos, his collection easily dwarfing hers .)

It had been sharing their bed space, however, that proved to be quite a challenge to both of them. For one, it wasn't Jamie who would hog all the covers, but Noonien, and it was something she teased him endlessly about. Jamie, on the other hand, took to leaving articles of her clothing on the floor carelessly, frustrating Noonien at times, as he almost managed to fall over a forgotten shirt or pants.

(But then again, often this discarded clothing had been something taken off at a rather…  _heated_ time, so Noonien couldn't really find it in himself to cause a scene over it.  Not to mention, sometimes he would steal the blanket completely intentionally, just to have her wrestle it back from him, or cuddle as closely as humanly possible. )

Still, apart from the (so far) minor things that would get on each other's nerves, there were things both of them appreciated.

(So many of them, in fact, that it made their previous lives seem rather dull and empty.)

The closeness they shared in their bedroom – not necessarily cuddling through the whole night, but the way one would reach towards the other in their sleep, never being too far from each other, always feeling their presence.

(The mornings where Jamie would crawl close to Noonien, resting her head on his chest, listening to the steady heartbeats as he caressed her hip, or when Noonien would pull her into his arms, breathing in her closeness, his face buried in her neck.

Or when the basking in one another's presence entailed something completely different. They were newly married, after all,  their attraction nearly tangible between them .)

The way Noonien would lean over Jamie's shoulder to kiss her cheek, when he joined her for breakfast in the kitchen, and the way Jamie would smile at Noonien above the rim of her morning coffee cup.

(They always share a cup of beverage of their choice – Jamie having a cup of what she calls 'instant humanity', a coffee, Noonien enjoying a cup of fresh tea – before they start making breakfast, enjoying the fact they have time for it now, as they both know that it is a luxury that can become very scarce any moment after their honeymoons are ended.)

The way Jamie would put her feet in Noonien's lap when they went to take some time together on the couch in the library and the absent-minded way he would caress her ankles as he pored over  whatever book or a file he was reading.

(Those are simple moments, and if at times the PADDs laid forgotten on the ground, well, Noonien's wife was quite a minx and Jamie's husband was very good at distraction tactics.)

The way Jamie danced around the kitchen when she was trying some recipe Noonien mentioned enjoying, with Khan following her with his eyes, as he helped her with the necessary ingredients.

(The whole house had been designed for someone taller than Jamie living in it, and while she usually has no problems with reaching for things she needs, or getting Noonien to get them for her and keep them where it's possible for her to reach them easily, kitchen is one of the areas where she depends on him to bring her the stuff from higher shelves. It's a fair deal, in the way of prehistoric people and their 'men hunt mammoths, women cook them' philosophy.)

The way Jamie fit into his arms, her body resting close to his when they decided to partake in more of the Earth tradition of stargazing dates, cuddling under the bright skies until one of them yawned and they would call it a night and go to bed.

(The air is crisp and fresh still, the season not warm enough yet, but they always grab as many pillows and blankets as they are able to carry at once and then just sit on one of their balconies – the house had several of them, much to Jamie's surprise – gazing at the skies above them. He points some constellations for her, and together they make a few of their own

Some nights, they just there, Jamie sitting before Noonien, his arms wrapped around her, and rests her head on his shoulder.)

There would be challenges to their building relationship, but together, they would weather the storm, they knew it.

(Once the honeymoon phase is over, and they know each other better, they will probably fall into a routine about their days and annoyances. 

Or maybe they won't. )

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Next part - ear candy.
> 
> Follow me on [tumblr](http://nefindahouse.tumblr.com/) for my crazy fractals and designs, blonde moments and also ocassional update for my writings!


	20. ear candy

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Ear candy that is the voice of your mate. Slightly introspective piece.

 

Noonien liked to listen to his wife’s voice.

Sure, he especially liked it when she said his name in that voice, but even normally, he liked to listen to the words she said, and how she said them.

Light and teasingly fond, when she spoke of the times at Starfleet Academy and the time she spent with her friends.

Full of wonder, when she spoke about the times they made first contact with so far unknown civilizations, and how they learnt about each other's’ cultures.

Quiet and hurt, when she - in a very few words - spoke about her father and his sacrifice, or about her mother, and her indifference.

Neutral, when she spoke about various people who wronged her somehow yet she decided they weren’t worthy of her tears or anger.

Gentle, when she spoke of her little nephews and her honorary niece, and how much she adored them - and they her.

But most of all, he liked her voice when she sang - every word carefully pronounced, a caress, a challenge, a taunt, a tease.

The song that reached towards him and captivated him with its very melody had been a slow song about love, and it always conjured up a picture of candles in his mind, when he heard her singing it.

Once, when she couldn’t see him, he smiled softly at her. Darling, don’t be afraid, indeed.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Delivered to you thanks to on-going NaNoWriMo :)
> 
> Also, being in the middle of upcoming Christmas season while working in retail, in the storm that is writing essays to university subjects and applying for a new job, is very tiring and probably should not be attempted to reenact at home, kids. 


	21. ear mark

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Out of all the books Jamie owned, only one of them had ear marks.

 

The admiral that officiated their wedding, Christopher Pike, sent Jamie a great many of boxes during the months after he departed from Augment homeworld.

Most of them had been various personal items (a small model of Enterprise being one that made Jamie laugh at the sight of it, when she pulled it out from one of the boxes, immediately putting it on an honorary place on her desk) or pieces of clothing (and weren’t some of them most interesting - Noonien certainly enjoyed it when Jamie decided to dress up for him).

In one of the boxes had been her music collection - various interprets and genres, old and new, all mixed together in a spectacular mix; a disc with classical music sitting next to a hardcore music, as if it were the most normal thing in the world.

Another few boxes had been books; real, made out of paper, antique books that surprised Noonien. The texture of the paper made it clear that those books were read and taken care of lovingly; not a single paper creased or ear marked.

Only one of the books, if it could be called that, developed the ear mark affliction. The picture album of their wedding.

Neither of them had noticed there had been a photographer on their wedding, and that made the pictures all the more natural and spontaneous.

A picture of Noonien seeing his bride-to-be for the very first time; the expression of his face taken aback and breathless.

A picture of her seeing him for the first time - lips opened slightly, a light blush on her cheeks.

A picture of Pike seeing both of them standing before him; a knowing look in his eyes, as he spoke to them about their union; Gaila and Carol standing aside, holding each other’s arm, with Bones scowling at Oto, who just smirked back at him.

A picture of their first dance - she looking slightly up, his hand gently holding hers, as he cradled her close and gazed into her eyes as if they held answers to every question.

Those were ear marked and looked at fairly often, even if neither of them would confess to such a thing.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Let me tell you, me dears, that ending at one job and prompty falling ill, before you had the opportunity to actualy officialy enter a new job, is hell. Also, spending the New Year by throwing up and nearly boiling due to terrible fever is one of the things you should attempt to avoid. And, starting a new job is also bad for your self-esteem. I really thought I grew up from feeling like a complete moron, but noooo. Makes me wonder how my new boss would react to me throwing a fit and locking myself at the bathroom, crying, because Force, today, on my first day at the new job, I felt exactly like that. The thing is, he's so overjoyed to finally have an assistant again that he can't wait to heap as much work as he can on me that it's really hard to tell him he needs to slow down. Thank Force I have wine. A lot of it :D


	22. background noise

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Some newly-marital bliss, mostly because I can.

 

With their honeymoon officially being over, Jamie and Noonien once again appeared in public, taking their places with ease.

Noonien was still one of the highest ranking officials of the Augment Directorate, with Jamie’s position being the Ambassador from the Federation of United Planets to the Directorate.

As Spock once told her during one of the rare moments of heart-to-heart talks, his father once told him (bending the truth in a way only Vulcans were capable of doing) that he married his wife, Amanda, because it was logical; only after her death confessing to their son he married her mainly because he loved her. 

Jamie marrying Noonien was like that, too, she mused, at least in the beginning. Their union was logical, in the whole picture kind of a way. But after spending those few precious days with only him as her company, she could very much picture herself being in love with him, instead of only strongly attracted to the man who was now her husband.

Meanwhile, Noonien was perfectly sure he already loved the woman he married, his body instinctively turning towards her when she entered the room, his eyes searching for any possible threat to her whenever they went to any of the events now organized in their honour.

Oto poke a few jokes at his protective attitude, but Khan noticed him eyeing Carol and after a few well-chosen remarks, Oto decided to be blessedly quiet.

At least until Jamie joined him in one meeting and he instinctively searched for her, as she moved around, catching his eye and giving him a smile. But this time, Oto’s good-natured ribbing had been just that; a background noise he could easily block.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So yeah, you got me - surprisingly still alive.
> 
> Next part - "I made tea".

**Author's Note:**

> Also, I dare you to join me in writing 100 re-captchas challenge! [Read more at my Tumblr!](http://nefindahouse.tumblr.com/post/128397607731/i-dare-you-to-100-re-captcha-challenge-also).


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